The First Great Duel
by Col.Foley
Summary: The Final Chapter in the series that started with "Granger of a Different Color" and"Getting to Know this Body" Harry's suspicions grow, and he goes to Dumbledor, prompting a series of events. Now Complete. please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter was walking down the stairs in the Great Hall, growing ever more suspicious of the events of the last few weeks

Harry Potter was walking down the stairs in the Great Hall, growing ever more suspicious of the events of the last few weeks. Especially of those that are surrounding his one time friend. Hermione.

Not that they still were not friends of course, they were. Just that she was acting very funny toward him, one could call it 'passes' but with her growing relationship with Ron, and her steadiness toward him in the past, Harry refused to believe this. Even though those were what his senses were telling him.

He was trying to find an outlet for these thoughts.

And just his luck he was approaching behind one now. "Ginny! Hey Ginny, wait up!" He called to her. She spun around on him, and smiled thinly at him.

"Hey Harry." She greeted warmly.

He decided to get straight to the punch as the two of them started to walk together. "Have you noticed anything odd about Hermione lately?"

"No, not at all."

"Really. But she seems so flirty, and so this, and so close to Ron. It almost seems like she does not really care about her school work any more."

"This is Hermione we are talking about."

"I know, but she doesn't, everything seems off about her recently."

She rounded it on him, moved in close to him, too close, her upper leg was resting almost imperceptibly against his. Harry had to do a double take, fighting with both his own personal feelings, and the sudden worry about both her and Hermione that was welling up inside of him.

"Relax Harry. She is fine, in fact she is more then fine." She then smiled at him. "And so am I by the way."

She said walking off leaving him feeling stunned, he walked into the Great Hall for Dinner in a complete haze. He may have even walked into people on his way down.

He entered the room and his vision cleared a little. Hermione and Ron were holding hands while eating under the table. Some students were moving around giving him odd looks. He had not drawn this much attention to himself since his name came out of the goblet those years ago. Now an era ago as far as he was concerned. It was like his world was being turned upside down and torn apart. It no longer made any sense. His friends that were with him throughout all of history, even when he acted so much bad at them, they always came back to him. And now they were becoming so much more used to each other, he felt like an outsider in some sick game that everyone else was playing around him. The good news was that Draco seemed to be as baffled as he was.

He sat down on the other end of the table, away from the two 'love birds' right next to Fred and George, afraid to start a conversation with them and find out that they were acting strangely as well. Colin was sitting across from him.

He started to eat every once and awhile looking up at the head table. Especially at Dumbledor, seeing if he could see any sign that he knew that something was wrong.

Dumbledor seemed like he did not sense anything was wrong, he was chatting with Flitwick his fork suspended in his hand before him.

And then he stopped, dropped his fork on his plate and stared around suspiciously, and cautiously. His gaze taking in the entire Great Hall, Harry could swear that his eyes were narrowed at this instance.

So he was onto something.

The meal finished and Harry marched up to his room, and then started to do what Home Work that he had to do for the next couple of hours.

He then went to bed confident that he could talk to Dumbledor tomorrow when they met each other for another one of their sessions.

The day dawned bright, and Harry ran down the steps and rushed through his breakfast in order to get to Dumbledor as fast as he can. Everyone was giving him looks. Mainly Ron and Hermione who he was sitting next to. She knew that something of his was up.

Harry finished his meal and rushed to Dumbledor's office, forgetting to check to see if he was even off the table yet.

He had to wait for a couple of minutes pacing outside of his office nervously wondering where he was.

"Harry?" He said coming up behind him gently.

"Professor!" Harry yipped enthusiastically, which reminded him of where Dumbledor had to have been.

"Come on in Harry." He said as he entered the password and they both went up the stairs to his office.

"To begin today Harry-"

"Professor, I need to talk to you about something else."

He paused for a second, worry starting to creep into his features, he steepled his fingers on his desk and stared at Harry intently.

"Well, it's just like this. Both Hermione, and now Ginny…and well several other students are acting really odd. They are acting all flirty."

"They are teenagers Harry." He said with a crooked smile.

"I know this. But still, in the long run, she, and I mean Hermione sir is acting really odd. She is not even doing any of her Homework. McGonnagal is even asking me about it, she is about to ask you."

Dumbledor seemed to age an entire extra year in front of him. "I know Harry, I have been feeling heavy all week, like something is happening. But we must be careful, tonight we will confront them. But until then we must stay concealed as to our suspicions, who knows how many of them there actually are?"

"So you think that this is spreading?"

"Yes I do Harry. We need to be careful on this, if not, we will die. Or worse. Tonight Harry, no sooner."

"The last thing Professor. I have been voicing my suspicions around for a couple of days, so they might be on to me."

"Then avoid Gryfindor Tower. Good luck Harry."

Harry knew that there was something deeply wrong if he was wishing him work, but he left the office and moved to head down to Hagrid's.


	2. Torn Asunder

Harry was lying up in his bed, staring up at the canopy

Harry was lying up in his bed, staring up at the canopy. Everyone around him was asleep, but he was straining to listen down into the common room, hearing the two of them. Barely. It was disgusting.

He then heard something, a door slam open down there. It was now time…he hoped. He ran down to the door, ripping out his wand as he ran down the stairs to corner them, and support Dumbledor.

He ran into the room just as Dumbledor appeared in the other side of the Common Room. His hand resting on his wand.

Hermione jerked up and drew her wand as well, and starred at both Harry, and Dumbledor, her wand pointing at Dumbledor. She was cornered. Ron was down there, a vacant and lost expression on his face. Totally lifeless and submissive, starring up at Hermione to see what she was going to do.

She smiled, wickedly. She cocked her head to look at Dumbledor curiously, the smile widening slightly. "Well, you have finally figured it out."

"I have been on to you since you came here." Dumbledor said simply.

"No, not at all. For you may have known something was up but you did not have any idea as to exactly what." She cackled this time, evilly, Ron seemed to be engrossed by this. "Arise."

The Castle seemed to grow cold and Dumbledor looked around the room startled as a simple thumping was heard. Lavender came down the stairs with her wand drawn, Hermione was continuing to cackle.

Then she pulled out her wand and flung it at Dumbledor, a light shot out of it, pulsed and hit Dumbledor in the face causing her to stumble back.

She cackled again and flew out of the window breaking it slightly. Lavender rushed out of the room and into the corridor, Harry could have sworn he heard the sounds of battle beyond it.

Dumbledor turned white and made to pursue her out the window as to do battle. Harry followed his urge to go down and join the battle, to help the headmaster, he rushed out of the Tower drawing his wand as he went along.

He arrived in the middle of another one, having to dodge a couple of spells. It looked to be pretty minor, but teachers were taking on Students. It was so odd, but he could not do. He flew down the steps.

He passed a few duelers on the way, Slughorn was dueling at once with two people, and he was however managing to hold his own.

Harry rushed out in the enveloping darkness and into the courtyard beyond the doors to the castle. The weather out was cold, a cold that bit into his poor clothing. He stopped for a second and looked around. Then he saw flashing lights in the distance that was probably the site of their duel.

Harry started to move in a full run to the source, once again his aim was to be there for his headmaster should he need it. He crossed the lawn quickly of the Grounds. And then he could see them. Red, Green, and yellow light were crossing each other, followed by pops, and bangs and a few deep booms.

He could also see Ron in the distance, staring blankly at the two contestants, wondering probably who would win. Harry stopped. He reflected on how bad this situation was for him. When he came back there would be so much that he would need to put right.

But now those two were locked in an epic duel, Dumbledor and Hermione's body. Harry wondered if he had made the right decision. But decided that he did.

Neither of the duelists looked as though they were gaining the upper hand, they looked to be pretty evenly matched.

But then a red light came out of the side of the ring, and hit the headmaster, causing him to yelp in pain as he went down. He tried to raise his wand to defend himself but was hit from the side. Harry looked and he saw two Ravenclaw girls there. Holding their wands. Hermione smirked and started to walk over to him, a long stride, and a confident smile forming on her lips.

Harry froze, watching engrossed as she approached the crumpled head master, his head felt light. She raised her wand…. "Expelliarmus!" Harry screamed. She deflected the spell into the ground then leapt back easily. Getting in a high defensive position, a fire burning in her eyes.

"Come and get me Harry Potter." She said confidently.

Harry entered the ring.

Hermione smiled at him again, and then cast her first spell.

Harry was able to duck around it easily. And the duel began. Both of them were trading spells, completely engrossed on the other. Harry casting Expelliarmus numerous times in an effort to see if she was going to bend. But her defenses held, and thus his spell choices were getting more and more radical. They were moving, her back, and him forward. Battling almost toward the Black Lake.

A spell flying past him in the other direction brought him back to the fact that he still had to deal with two more people on his left and right. Another two spells came at him from the two and hit each other.

"Protego!" Harry screamed at the top of his lungs, the shield forming in front of him, blocking an incoming spell.

He then looked right, and yelled "Stupefy!" spinning out of the way of another spell. His spell hit its mark and caused the girl to crumple. He then pointed across his body to the left, and again "Stupefy!" This one also hit its mark.

His shield then fell, another spell was hurtling toward him, he swung his wand from bottom left, to his top right where he was just able to knock it out of the way.

They then got back to dueling. She never seeming to loose strength, always confident and secure. And Harry giving in a little by little.

She was just wearing him down, he knew it. Not in order to beat him, but to control him. Just like she now had complete control of Ron. And he could feel himself loosing. He was not giving into her yet, but the duel he was loosing. And then he would be hers to play with.

But yet a look of frustration was building on her face as her wand was swinging around in a blur, casting spells, counter spells, and moving in a defensive nature. Her arms moving around in seemingly an exaggerated manner. Not even saying a word.

She then cast a Killing Curse at him, he thought that this was odd, but he ducked around it, it missing him by mere inches.

"Expelliarmus." He said edging forward, almost diving to the side, she deflected it easily. Harry got to his feet.

And the two resumed their duel. Fireworks were going off all over the place. The ground looked hot with their crossing spells. And deflections. Blinding lights and explosions of sound would have deafened anyone near to the two of them. As they continued.

Then she stopped, he stopped, and they stared each other down.

Then she swung her wand bringing it to point directly up ward, and then she moved it to where it was behind her head and pointing straight at him. The water rushed up in a torrent, spiraling together in a shoot of tightly packed molecules. It was raising ever higher in the air, as it started to come around and point at Harry.

He started to panic. He had never seen anything like this, and he did not know what to do. His mind was raising as the wave was moving over to him at an increasing velocity, moving up to wash him away, and who knows what else to his wand and defenses.

Then it occurred to him, something that might work. He pointed his wand straight at the wave and yelled, "Glacius!" The wave of water instantly started to freeze up, as it was now a battle between how fast the wave could hit him, and how fast he could turn it to ice. He was going to win, just barely though.

But he had to dive out of the way as the fountain of ice still had enough seeming momentum to crash into the ground just where he was standing. He rolled on the ground, banging himself up pretty well.

He starred back at her, and she had a look of proud curiosity on her face.

Again they continued their duel. The air now sizzling and cracking around them as their defense began to get wilder and his spell choice beginning to get more chaotic as he was trying to think of things that he could do that might get through her nets.

He finally screamed in frustration his next spell, "diffindo!" It echoed across the grounds for a second. And a tear appeared in her uniform, moving nearly across her entire torso. She just smirked at him. And again they started to duel.

She started to cast the most simple of spells at him, Harry was gradually more and more being forced on the defensive. He had the terrible feeling that she was just doing this to wear him down, that any second now one was going to slip through.

His fears were confirmed, a look of complete triumph flashed across what used to be Hermione's features as she made a dramatic move with her wand. Harry was sure that he could block it. But a yellow green light came out of the end, a burst, as it expanded out across his entire features, it hit. He could feel his feet being lifted off the ground as he turned and rotated in the air as he hit the ground hard. As soon as he did it seemed as though his entire lung just deflated as all the air left him, leaving him gasping for more, dazed and confused at what just happened.

He tried to move his wand arm up, she saw it and deftly disarmed him, his wand falling a couple of inches away. She continued to approach him, putting an extra swing in her hips as she approached him.

Harry knew it, he had lost, everything. This was it, this was the end. She was going to turn him into the same sort of mindless freak that she had with Ron, and maybe Ginny, and Hannah, and Matilda. She had even beaten Dumbledor.

She picked him up into her arms, and placed her lips solidly on his, kissing him, he was still too weak to try and resist at the moment, and he knew that he was failing fast. A fog was pressing down on him as she kissed him, it felt like control was being wrenched away from him. This feeling was familiar, but he could not quite place it, but it was different. He felt himself beginning to want it, the kissing, and he responded almost automatically. His right arm seemed to come up unbidden and go around her. His mind that was still free was shrinking. He could feel his hormones take over, and his brain switch. He was starting to want this badly…. a sick and perverted form of love. He was panicking.

But he soon realized his brain came on the decision. Where he had felt this before, in almost another time. Now he had to battle with himself, his left arm was frantically searching behind him for his wand. Just as the last bit of freedom was leaving him, he found it.

He picked it up, and flicked it at her leg, it connected with a crack and Hermione leapt back startled a bit. But moved to finish what she was doing.

Harry's mind cleared in an instant as his strength and voice returned to him. "EXPECTIO PATRONUM!" He shouted, his voice positively reverberating off the grounds as the white stag erupted from his wand point and flung itself at his assailant.

Her features moved back in wide surprise as she was hit, her feet lifted off the ground as she was tossed ten feet in the air, and landed hard back on that ground. Harry could hear something snap.

He ran over to her, and she looked at him with a look that conveyed genuine respect, and awe at him. But she raised her wand. "Expelliarmus!" Harry said flicking his wand in such a way as only her wand went flying through the air. He then cast another spell, "stupefy." She collapsed at his feet unconscious. A lingering thought was in the back of his mind, a residual from what nearly happened. He forced it out as he went for Dumbledor.

"Professor! Professor! Please wake up." He shook him hard in the attempt.

He did. And he shoved Harry to the ground in a sudden act, and total need for haste. He went over to her and started to wave his wand around, muttering quickly. Harry could have sworn his wand would leave his hand at how quickly he was swerving it through the air. But then, then a high pitched wail, Harry had never before heard such a noise before, erupted from the area as a black thing climbed into the air. Dumbledor cast one last piece of green light at it. As it exploded.

It was now over.


	3. An Effort to Rebuild

Two days had passed

Two days had passed. Two days of fear, and hate even. As the school was healing itself from its own ordeals as friends was trying to come together in a time of great need. After all that happened. In the end few were personally touched, but then, the whole school was in a way.

The sun was out, and it felt hotter then it had for nearly a month. But yet, even though that part seemed like a great weight had been taken off the school, other parts still felt damp, and alone.

Except for the headmaster's office. The one place that seemed to not be touched by any evil. Harry was there again, searching for answers to what had happened latest in his life.

He was sitting across from him, as Dumbledor had his eyes closed, deep in thought of everything that happened. Harry hardly dared to breathe in that environment.

Finally Dumbledor stirred, it looked as if he was going to speak, but winced instead. Harry settled down and waited yet again.

"Harry." He said suddenly. Then paused. "I would first and foremost like to thank you again for your assistance to this school, and its students."

"Of course professor." He said.

"Second, I have been trying to remember who it was who might have caused this. So much of History of Magic now forgotten." He opened his eyes and smiled lopsidedly at Harry before closing them again.

Harry frowned in return.

"It was an ancient witch, with powers that would be unknown at the time. Part of the ancient and Dark order. The original classics after Morgan."

Harry also tried to remember his history.

"She was quite powerful for her time. But now she is only about as powerful as Bellatrix. She would make a good Lt. in Voldemort's armies. And now, she was trying to take over the world. She was a specialist of the imperio, and controlling others, mainly through the use of the opposite of a Dementor, but equal. It seems that she found a way to utilize the same sort of magic the Dementors used, but just in happiness. To control one through euphoria, likely through her lipstick, which is why it worked with your Patronus. "

After Dumbledor did not look as though he was going to continue on with his explanations Harry responded with a simple, "I see."

"It was actually one of your ancestors to defeat her. Actually from what I gathered the first one to be born under the name Potter those many years ago. He broke her power and forced her to flee. Where she was burned at the stake by religious prophets of the time."

Harry nodded at this. Engrossed in his memory by what he was just told. Those two Potters did defeat the most evil and most vile witch in history, or at least the one that was close up there. This was interesting for his thought process as he left to go head down for a late breakfast.

Dumbledor sat in his office looking out at the door, deep in thought.

In the meanwhile, Hermione was down in the Hospital Wing of the castle. Feeling figety, but also not really wanting to do anything but lay her in this material. She was so happy to have her body back under her control.

She was slightly hungry laying there, no one yet had bothered to bring her by any food in the least. She was looking around the room seeing where everyone was, her face showed her curiosity, as she did not find anyone. She felt loose all over. Like she was still trying to remember how to use everything, since her confinement, especially her own body. Sometimes she felt stiff and other times loose. There was a slight tingle throughout her body though, as her hairs even seemed to stand up on end. She was so relieved of this, but so curious. She had not recalled reading about such a long-term possession before. What a way to get into the history books she smiled to herself. Then it was replaced as she remembered exactly how it happened. She screaming at the walls of her own body, trying to get back control. Slipping away each day. Dying. Submitting to the will of the new master of her body until she was almost one with it, both one and no more at the same time. Where there thoughts and feelings would merge for the same evil purpose. But she would not be aware of it.

She then heard a slight bang from the end of the Wing as something seemed to have been dropped, she turned her head that way rapidly just in time to see Ron trying to go back around the corner, trying to hide from her.

"Hey Ron?!" She called out to him.

She saw Ron look around the corner at her, wide eyed and wondering if he should come over to her. He was so nervous, and Hermione could not blame him at all.

In the end he squared his shoulders and moved on over.

He came up and pulled up a chair, carrying with him a silver tray. "Hey Hermione…I us…. look I bought you breakfast."

"Thanks Ron."

"The least I could do…after…well…what happened."

She started to wolf down her breakfast as she considered that, letting the old, but new and wondrous tastes permeate her mouth. Eating never tasted so good. In fact nothing even felt as good as this.

"Look Ron, it is not your fault." She said around her food. Ron looked stricken again as if she were still possessed, Hermione almost had to giggle as she realized that was not like her. "It wasn't."

"Still embarrassing though." He said sheepishly.

"Forget it, I will try." He did not look convinced. "Look, its not. Her lipstick had a magic potion in it. You were not responsible for your actions."

"Yeah, but so much that we need to do, need to get back to, and learn. And fix. A lot that needs to be fixed."

She gave him an 'oh come on' look, but one that was mostly teasing. "So do I Ron, so do I. A lot, all that extra homework, although some of it she did do. And not sure a few people will ever trust me again. And I have to say my humble apologies to Hannah and Matilda. And the rest of the professors, and see if they will let me fix some of the damage, and-"

"Alright, Hermione I get it, I get it."

"Ron, and then there is you. I must really apologize to you, I am sorry for not being stronger, I should have been able to-"

"There is nothing to apologize for, you are the strongest person I know," Then he remembered something. "Well, for a girl any way because there is Harry-"

"And Harry is Harry," She smiled to herself slightly.

Ron looked around for a second, and then he felt her hand reach for his. He held it for a second. Pleased that for the moment that they were friends. One more moment before everything else to them happened. Before they had to face Lavender and the school. And for one more moment he was happy.

But then the next class had to start, and both of them had to depart. As he had to leave for potions with a hurried bye to her.

Leaving Hermione alone as she wondered what the future had in store for her. And with that, she closed her eyes for a catnap.


End file.
